LA Frog posts briefly about the many fruit stands around town.Like the many other street vendors in LA - except for those in MacArthur Park which are part of one (of the 3) officially sanctioned City "vending districts" - these fruit vendors are most often without a permit. Some know first hand the pains of eating a vended food item, be it fruit or the "cooked" foods. Often, the produced used and seasoned (like corn and mangos) is below the quality recommended by the FDA. Often when these vendors' "store houses" are discovered, boxes marked "not for human consumption" are filled with corn, intended to be livestock feed. If the below-grade produce doesn't get you, the mayonnaise they season the corn's ear will: it's stored at sometimes sweltering temperatures. (And everyone knows you don't take potato salad to a picnic if it can't be kept cool!)
Street vendors in Los Angeles are generally unregulated and selling without permits. I would not suggest patronizing them, no matter how good the foods look or smell - it's not worth it.
See losanjealous's Ryan's account and accompanying comments here.
Back in March of 2006, Councilman Tony Cardenas asked that the City investigate "how more authority can be given to Building and Safety Department, Bureau of Sanitation and Bureau of Street Services to confiscate and abate the food and equipment that is being sold by the illegal vendors." This was due to the fact that the County's Health Department (with its limited resources) had to be present in order for the City agencies to deal with the illegal vendors. At this point, no report (which was to be due back to committee thirty days later) has been presented.
Some might say the City should just permit the vendors to control them, but what is at issue here is a) the use of public property for commercial purposes (what stops every sidewalk to be bazaar-like?) and b) it often detracts from the businesses that are operating out of a storefront and have to follow stringent rules and regulations. Often, you will see food vendors outside of other food sellers. Often, at the edge of supermarket parking lots, you will find on the City sidewalk a fruit vendor as pictured above.
A word to the wise... though they may be colorfully and aromatically enticing: beware of (illegal) street vendors' wares in LA!
photo via LA Frog
8 comments:
I've eaten many elotes from many vendors, with plenty of mayonnaise and chili powder and cheese and never been ill. It's good stuff maynard.
You might have been a lucky one, but it does happen!
I will stop eating street dogs (bacon wrapped hot dogs) and mango with lime and chili when they pry them from my cold, dead, hands.
These vendors should be allowed to do their things and make an honest living. I'd rather have a man hustling to sell elotes and ice cream than an empty street with nothing but fast food joints and corporate stores everywhere.
The City should find a way to license these folks, so that we'll get some of the revenue they are generating to help pay to keep up the areas they frequent.
I'm in the "license and regulate" camp. It'll still put most of the corn and ice cream carts out of business, which isn't a bad idea considering the health risks, but the fruit carts probably would be able to stay open.
Wait, mayonnaise on corn? That should just be banned outright.
Seriously, though, count me in the "license and regulate" camp. Street vendors are a good way to cultivate an active city street life, but assurances that they're obeying health laws would be a good thing.
Forget the BS about the state of the street! Here is the real about the street, most of the people who are running these carts(un-licensed) are the same people who have no respect for the law, they have come here knowing that it is illegal, and that has not stopped them, so why do you think they are going to go get offical permits to do something they are already doing for free!!! I got to this site because a friend of mine asked me to research what licences he would need to run a hot dog cart, with his lady. What a joke, those who care about the law will go out of their way to find out how to do it legally, and those who don't, won't!!!!!!
Doc W.
I am trying to open a fruit cart myself. If anyone knows where to get the licensing for this please let me know. From what I understand you need to have the cart inspected and then you get a little green sticker to put in front. Any input?
i have eat the elotes and ice cream........ and they're my fravorite,specially right now that im pregnant.....
and i dont understand why the cops throw they're food away... they are making a honest living... insted of waisting there time on those people that try to make an honest living, they should go get the pople that sell drugs. they dont have a permit ether and they get away with it.....
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